Job Discussion Forums

[nomad soul]

[izmigari]

[ajankows]

I smell some trolls. As a teacher who is currently going to the UAE in the next month. Could we please ask those who do know, what is the cost of living outside of Abu Dhabi.

[canadianUAE]

[peripatetic_soul]

Dear Ajankows,

It's true that housing varies considerably within each emirate. I'm still in touch with former colleagues teaching in various emirates so let us know where you will be headed.

What dragonpiwo said is also true that the entire year's rent must be paid in advance along with agent's fees and utility deposits.

You pose an important question--What happens to all that rent money if one does not pass probation or contract is terminated before the contract year ends? Those who leave under such circumstances rarely post here. Hopefully someone will fill us in. No one's position is secure which is a compelling reason not to buy property or take out a huge bank loan for a vehicle (as VS has discussed in former threads).

In years past, when some institutions such as HCT and ZU provided free housing and established contracts with various landlords, rents remained relatively stable. However, after a few years, there were increases in rental rates, but our allowances began to decrease. Now, although there is a housing allowance at HCT, contracted housing is not provided for up front so you are at the mercy of the landlord's quoted (and often changing) rates and potential lack of maintenance and needed repairs.

Another consideration to factor into savings would be food/petrol. While I was there, food costs typically increased 50-70% each year at markets such as Carrefour and Spinney's which is why I often shopped at the small, local shops. Of course, purchasing imports will hike up the weekly grocery bill. Hope this info helps.

Regards,
PS

[Geronimo]

Hello anjankows,

The dubizzle website has been recommended several times on various U.A.E. forum threads.
Have you visited it yet? If not, here's the link...
https://abudhabi.dubizzle.com/property-for-rent/residential/?price__gte=&price__lte=&bedrooms__gte=0&bedrooms__lte=12&places__id__in=Start+typing+here&places__id__in=&building__in=Start+typing+here&keywords=&is_basic_search_widget=1&is_search=1

If you use its dropdown listing of the Emirates in the 'Search' facility,
the regional differences in rent levels should soon become apparent.
Rents in Abu Dhabi city are significantly higher than in Al Ain, for example.
I reckon the difference per month would be in the region of around AED.3,000 for a 2 bedroom apartment.

Not all rental agreements in the U.A.E. are paid for by ONE cheque covering the total cost of the full 12 months.
In fact, in Al Ain at any rate, rental payment cheques for 6 month periods are quite commonplace.

EMKWAN explains the payment processes which are generally applicable for accommodation costs across the U.A.E. at the outset
of his "Finding Accommodation in Abu Dhabi" vlog episode.

Then he goes on to identify the current rental ranges for the various areas of Abu Dhabi city
where expats typically go in search of villas and apartments...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0623SVMI0Dc

Geronimo

[dragonpiwo]

The best bang for your buck in AD is Reem Island. 70-80,000 will get you a studio, pools, gyms and tennis courts. 2 or 3 malls nearby. 5 minutes and 10 DHS by taxi to Abu Dhabi Mall and about 15 to the Corniche beaches.

Setting up costs around 100k.

On Reem you don't need a car either.

You can go live in MBZ or KCA but they are miles out and inland. Yas is way outta most teachers' budgets. In TCA, the flats can be pretty old and not really my cuppa.

[izmigari]

[dragonpiwo]

If you lose your job, it depends on the contract you have re renting. Non-tawtheek and you could lose everything but if you have tawtheek, it's 2 months in my contract.

I have friends at ADEC and their gig seems to be pretty good. They get less cash but their 1-bed is paid for, so it works out better for the married guys. They also get home pretty early every day. Adveti's offer on the net just isn't enough in AD. 21k with no free housing will leave you with about 12-14k a month. You won't save much of that if you start going out or have a mortgage back home etc.

Izmi-I have all the info. I live in AD. Keep banging on by all means.

[nomad soul]

Parents stretched as UAE firms cut education allowances
By Nadeem Hanif, The National | May 25, 2016
Source: http://www.thenational.ae/uae/parents-stretched-as-uae-firms-cut-education-allowances

DUBAI // Parents are struggling to pay for their children’s education, with employers cutting or doing away with allowances as school fees rise along with the wider cost of living. And there are fears that cutting those allowances will make it harder to attract the best and brightest from overseas to work here, at a cost to the economy.

“This year in Abu Dhabi there will be a 3 per cent tax on rents, VAT will add more to everyday purchases and utilities bills are rising," said Judith Finnemore, a manager at Education Consulting and School Improvement. "Employers are looking to cut back so the days of funding employees’ children are numbered, if they haven’t slid off the horizon already."

One mother, who runs her own business with her husband, has three children at Dubai American Academy and said she was paying Dh80,000 in tuition fees for each. She said they were also having to cut back on the perks they offer to employees. “We run a business and it’s getting to the stage now that we are having to reduce the education benefits we can offer because they are getting too expensive," the businesswoman said. She believed that in the long term, the economy would suffer as continually rising fees made it more expensive to hire staff.

German resident Maria has three children at Jumeira Baccalaureate School and said that tuition fees had risen by about Dh11,000 on last year. The family will spend about Dh200,000 for tuition fees from next year, she said. “We run our own business so the school fees aren’t covered by an employer," Maria said.

Schools face their own battles as a slowing economy triggered by low oil prices and job losses in the energy industry place heavy burdens. An oversupply of school places is also a major challenge, as are rising overheads, difficulty retaining good teachers and demand for higher salaries as competition for staff between schools increases. All add pressure to lift tuition fees. Ms Finnemore said the education sector was in a vicious cycle as the schools inspection framework added to the burden on schools to hire more qualified staff, thus pushing up salaries. “The laws of supply and demand can force up salaries," she said.

Experts said it was imperative for education providers to consult parents on fee increases, attract sponsorship and open schools to the paying public to weather the slowing economy. Salaries for most people have stagnated, so parents are struggling to stretch their budgets to meet fee rises.

According to a study by investment bank Alpen Capital, the number of UAE schools is projected to increase from 1,184 in 2014 to 1,406 by 2020. Dubai is expecting 20 schools to open by the end of this year, on top of the 173 already operating. This is breeding competition, with schools offering fee discounts and scholarships for some students.

Clive Pierrepont, director of communications for education company Taaleem, said schools were competing to attract the best teachers. “We compete in a global market to attract and retain the very best educators, with the right experience, a proven track record and specific skills," Mr Pierrepont said. “Therefore, we have to provide competitive rates of pay, annual salary reviews, professional development and a range of benefits. About 70 per cent of a school’s budget is allocated to staffing and the cost of school overheads rise by between 5 and 10 per cent a year," he said.

The Ministry of Education now manages public schools with the aim of improving standards but problems remain in staffing levels, motivating Arabic teachers, attracting Emirati men to teaching and low satisfaction levels of Emirati female teachers.

(End of article)

[neverthetwain]

ADEC only gives 45 days holiday. That's bad for an international teacher. 180 days a year is what international packages pay. They also only pay between $3000 and $5500 a month and pay vice principals $8000 a month. All this info comes from a recruitment company for ADEC based in Dubai. I think you get free housing chucked in. It's ok for young teachers, but for experienced teachers, the holiday pay sucks.

[nomad soul]